Communists are people who fancied that they had an unhappy childhood.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Stein attributes communist beliefs to unresolved personal trauma rather than ideology.
- In plain terms
- Communists are described as people with unhappy childhoods.
- What can you take from it?
- Political views may stem from personal trauma.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do politics stem from personal pain?
- Is ideology ever purely intellectual?
Another view
It reduces complex political movements to individual psychology.
More from Gertrude Stein
It is always a mistake to be plain-spoken.
Permalink to quote #16 Before the flowers of friendship faded friendship faded.
Permalink to quote #18 All the world knows how to cry but not all the world knows how to sigh. Sighing is extra.
Permalink to quote #15
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